Having survived Iniki on Kauai in my early teens on 9-11-1992. A few of the biggest takeaways:
-we didn’t have water for about 1-2 months in our area. We lived near streams and reservoirs which were a big help.

But some additional kupa Aina tactics were, fill up your large outside garbage cans with water if you don’t already have water storage (of course everything you can inside the hale as well)
-a gas stove or even propane BBQ these days can go a long way.

Should the eye of the storm come over your island. You will notice maybe 15 mins of total calm. We used this time to run outside and check on neighbors who lost their roof or hale were severely damaged. The road looks like a war zone

with materials all over the place so you have to be very quick and careful cause the winds will come back from opposite direction and fly all the materials back at you and you’re hale. Once you feel it even light you need to get back inside and take cover.

-Try and park your car in a place where a tree or materials are less likely to fly on it.
-Days after the storm motorcycles and mopeds are the only ways to get anywhere of distance cause you can traverse around debris in ways you can’t with a car

- if you lucky you band together with families around you and take turns BBQing from each other’s freezer for the first couple days and kinda eat more ono meats, fish, and all kinds than you have in a while

- some stores tried price gouging after the storm and were charging crazy prices for goods such as baby foods, toilet paper— report them this is illegal during a time of disaster

-other stores like Koloa Big Save were giving away free to families all the goods in their freezers that were going to spoil anyways
- we didn’t have power I think for maybe 4 months- your body adjusts you wake up with the sunrise and go to sleep not long after sunset-

it’s actually a pretty good life in this sense and to do so in the age of internet might be world-altering
-family from neighbor islands send you all kine care packages so Keiki tend to get all kine goodies
- fish, kalo, and pigs remain after the storm as good food sources
-

be careful going through the rubbish in you’re yard. Some of it is dangerous, others can be the personal private things of your neighbors, some of this stuff can be too gross to post about but they are not things you want your Keiki to see

- after the storm the Island feels more free, many of those who own second and third home leave for many years

— the tourist are gone— but many construction people show up and some are great and there to help some also are there to take advantage of people so be wary of who you give your money to.

-if you experience a hurricane and two or More of these bullets it will be an amazing learning experience that will make you cry, laugh, respect the power of our earth, Malama Aina— it builds character and you will never be the same